An optical communications system may include a transceiver to transmit an optical signal, to receive an optical signal, and/or the like. For example, each node of the optical communications system may include at least one transceiver to enable each node to communicate with the other nodes of the optical communications system. A transceiver may include multiple component optical devices. For example, a single transceiver may include a photonic chip, a fiber array unit, and/or the like. In some cases, a set of lenses may be disposed inside the transceiver to couple the multiple component optical devices. In this case, a first component optical device may direct a beam or beams from an output of the first component optical device toward the set of lenses, and the set of lenses may redirect the beam or beams from the set of lenses to an input of a second component optical device. Care must be taken to provide sufficient space to accommodate the alignment process and care must be taken to properly align the two component optical devices and the set of lenses enabling the desired beam coupling.
As another example, a flexible cable, such as a ribbon cable, may be used to optically couple two component optical devices in a transceiver. For example, the first component optical device may be coupled to a first end of the ribbon cable, and the second component optical device may be coupled to a second end of the ribbon cable. In this case, the first optical device may provide multiple beams via multiple optical fibers of the ribbon cable, and the ribbon cable may direct the multiple beams to the second optical device using the multiple optical fibers. Care must be taken to provide sufficient space between the two component optical devices to accommodate the ribbon cable and any associated connectors thereof and care must be taken to properly align the two component optical devices and the ribbon cable (or associated connectors thereof) to enable a desired beam coupling.
As the cost of photonic components for optical devices decreases, the cost of optical connectors and the costs for coupling optical connectors (e.g., with relatively good tolerances or good alignment) to photonic components within an optical device is becoming a larger part of the cost of an optical module, such as a transceiver that includes multiple component optical devices. As the size of optical modules decreases and the performance requirements increase, the available physical space within optical modules for optical connectors decreases. Accordingly, there is a need for a low cost optical connector which reduces the physical spaced used by the optical connector, reduces the alignment costs and difficulties and maintains good tolerances or good alignment with the connected photonic components.